Loire Flashcards
Who played a major role in creating navigable tributaries in the Loire?
Dutch
What are the main white grapes of Loire?
Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc (aka Pineau de Loire) Melon de Bourgogne Folie Blanche Chardonnay Romaratin Chasselas
What are the main red grapes of the Loire?
Cabernet Franc Pinot Noir Gamay Grolleau (aka Groslot) Pineau d’Aunis
What grape is sometimes referred to as Breton?
Cabernet Franc
How many miles does the Loire cover?
600 miles from Muscadet to Pouilly-sur-Loire
How does the climate change from west to east in the Loire?
Nantes has maritime climate- damp and mild
Further east, continental climate prevails.
What are the predominant soil types found in the Loire?
Chalk, schist and clay
What are the unifying characteristics in Loire wines despite soil and climatic differences in the regions?
Lightness and acidity
What are the four main sub regions within Loire from west to east?
Pays Nantais
Anjou
Tourmaline
Centre
What are the AOP regions in Nantes?
Muscadet Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Fiefs Vendeens Gros Plant du Pays Nantais Coteaux d’Ancenis
What grape is used in the production of all Nantes wines?
Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet)
What is one of the largest AOP’s in France and accounts for over 80% of Muscadet production?
How many communes are grapes sourced from?
Where is it located?
Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine
23 Communes
Near the confluence of the Sevre and Maine Rivers
What are the 3 sub zones that now exist within Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine also known as “Cru Communaux”?
Caisson, Gorges and Le Pallet
What are the requirements of “Cru Communaux”?
Higher minimum alcohol
Lower yields
18-24 months on the lees (higher than is legally required for sur lie designation)
What are the AOPs of Anjou Saumur?
Anjou Anjou-Villages Anjou-Village Brissac Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire Bonnezeaux Cabernet d’Anjou Cabernet de Saumur Coteaux de Saumur Coteaux de l’Aubance Coteaux du Layon Haut-Poitou Quartes du Chaume Rose d’Anjou Saumur Saumur-Champigny Savennieres Savennieres-Coulee de Serrano Savennieres-Roche aux Moines
What region has a reputation of producing sweet wines from Chenin Blanc?
What is the trend in the region these days?
Anjou AOP
Trending to drier styles of white
What is the local name for Chenin Blanc in Anjou?
Pineau de la Loire
Describe the production and grapes used in Anjou-Villages AOP
Red only
Cabernet Franc based wines
Cabernet Sauvignon also produced
What wines are produced in Anjou-Villages Brissac?
Red from Gamay
Area covers same communes as Coteaux l’Aubence
What are the grapes used in Rose d’Anjou production?
Cot (Malbec)
Gamay
Grolleau
Pineau d’Aunis
What is the largest most commonly seen appellation in Anjou?
Coteaux du Layon
What are the two cru villages of Coteaux du Layon?
Bonnezeaux
Quarts de Chaume
What is the grape used in Bonnezeaux AOP?
Chenin Blanc
What style of wine is produced in Quarts de Chaume AOP?
Sweet wine from Chenin Blanc
In better years Botrytis forms
What region is located on the north bank of the Loire river facing Coteaux de l’Aubance and produces wines from Chenin Blanc that are dense, dry, rich and structured.
Savennieres
What small 12 acre enclave is the second smallest appellation in France as a single estate?
Savennieres Clos de la Coulee de Serrant
What is another cru of Savennieres?
Savennieres Roche Aux Moines
What would be the main production differences in a wine labeled Savennieres AOP vs Savennieres Roche Aux Moines AOP?
Savennieres Roche Aux Moines would have lower yields, higher must weight and higher minimum alcohol.
What are the soils in Saumur?
Limestone and clay over tuffeceous bedrock
What type of wine does the Saumur AOP cover?
Red, dry white and sparkling
What percentage of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc added to Chenin Blanc in Saumur is allowed?
20%
What red grapes are allowed in Saumur Rouge?
Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pineau d’Aunis
What is the sparkling wine AOP of Saumur?
Saumur du Mousseux
Higher quality red wines come from what appellation in Saumur?
Saumur-Champigny
What are the appellations of Touraine?
Bourgueil Cheverny Chinon Coteaux du Loire Coteaux du Vendomois Cour-Chevereny Jasnieres Montlouis-sur-Loire St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Touraine Touraine Boble-Joue Vouvray Valencay
What is the climate and soil of Touraine?
Maritime and Chalk
What is the varietal make up of white wines in Touraine AOP?
Sauvignon Blanc with up to 20% Sauvignon Gris
What are the red varietals used in red and rose production of Touraine?
Gamay
Grolleau
Pineau d’Aunis
Cabernet Franc
What are the five villages that can add their name to the basic Touraine AOP?
Oily Chenonceaux Mesland Away-le-Rideau Amboise
What separate rose appellation in Touraine creates a vin gris from Gris Meunière,Malvoise, and Pinot Noir?
Touraine Noble-Joue
This appellation is East of Tours in the center of the Loire Valley
What is Vouvray?
The main grape variety in Vouvray
What is Chenin Blanc?
What type of sub soil is Vouvray known for?
Toffeau limestone
What style of wine is produced in Vouvray?
Very sweet to very dry. Still or sparkling
What are the two sparkling appellations of Vouvray?
Vouvray Moussex
Vouvray Petilant
What appellation was formerly part of Vouvray and produces wines similar in style?
Montlouis-sur-Loire
What appellation in Touraine that is known for its Cabernet Franc wines also makes whites from Chenin Blanc and rose?
Chinon
What three types of soil are found in Chinon?
tuffeau (found on slopes)
Clay
Varennes (sandy, alluvial soils close the Vienne river)
What other two regions in Touraine are known for their Cabernet Franc wines?
Bourgueil
St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
What are the soils in Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil?
Sand and Limestone
What type of wine does Coteaux du Loir produce?
red blends and roses based on Pineau d’Aunis
Whites from Chenin Blanc
What region is a sub appellation of Coteaux du Loir and only produces Chenin Blanc?
Jasnieres
What AOP is northeast of the Coteaux du Loire and specializes in dry rose from Pineau d’Aunis
Coteaux du Vendomois
What AOP is on the eastern edge of Touraine and consists of red from Pinot Noir and Gamay and whites from Sauv Blanc?
Cheverny
What white grape is used in the Cour-Cheverny AOP?
Romorantin
What appellation in Touraine is south of Chaverny and Cour-Cheverny and uses Sauv Blanc for whites and Gamay, Pinot Noir and Cot for reds.
Valencay AOP
What are the appellations in Centre or Central Vineyards?
Coteaux du Giennois Mentou Salon Orleans Orleans-Clery Quincy Pouilly-Fume Pouilly-Sur-Loire Reuilly Sancerre Pouilly Fume
How many acres is in Pouilly-Fume?
3000 acres
What are the most important communes to Pouilly-Fume?
Pouilly-sur-Loire
Saint-Andelin
Tracy
What is the difference between Pouilly-Fume and Pouilly-sur-Loire?
Pouilly-Fume must be 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Pouilly-Sur-Loire are Chasselas sometimes blended with Sauvignon
What are “terres Blanche”
The chalky silica and clay soils found in varying proportion in Pouilly-Fume.
What is the term used for the gun flint quality exhibited in the wines from Pouilly-Fume
“Pierre a fusil”
What are the best known communes of Sancerre?
Chavignol
But
Champtin
What are the three soil types of Sancerre?
caillottes- pebbly chalk and limestone
Terres blanches- chalky clay and marl
Silex- silaceous sandy soils mixed with flint
What AOPs are thought to mimic Sancerre?
Quincy
Menetou-Salon
Reuilly
What grapes are wine produced from in Menetou-Salon?
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Noir
What types of wine is produced in Reuilly?
Whites from Sauv Blanc
Reds from Pinot Noir
Rose from Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir
What grapes are used in Coteaux du Giennois AOP?
Pinot Noir and Gamay (reds and rose production)
What Centre AOP lies just east of Touraine and allows red, white and rose principally from Pinot Meunière and Chardonnay?
Orleans AOP
What Centre appellation produces on red wines from Cab Franc?
Orleans-Clery
What are the appellations of Central France and what type of wine do they produce?
Cote Roannaise: Gamay (closer to Lyon and Beaujolais the Centre)
Chaeaumeillant:reds and roses from Gamay
Cotes d’Avergne: reds,whites and rose
St.Pourcain:red whites and rose
What are two generic Loire appellations?
Cremant de Loir- catch all sparkling appellation
Rose de Loire- catch all for roses made from Grolleau Gris, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Pineau d’Aunis